Anglers are being reminded to get rid of their rubbish properly, as Wyndham council’s Hook, Line and Litter campaign rolls out.
Bins will be introduced along the Werribee River and Werribee South foreshore to tackle litter in and on waterways and beaches in a bid to improve amenity and make the environment safe for people and wildlife.
Rob Bradley, of Beach Patrol 3030, a volunteer group dedicated to cleaning up rubbish, welcomed the campaign.
“It’s a good thing to go to the source of the problem,” Mr Bradley said.
“When we do clean-ups around Werribee South, we’re often finding discarded bait bags, sometimes still full of bait, a lot of fishing line and hooks.
“People also leave other trash lying around after fishing, like old chairs and food containers.”
Mr Bradley said “fishing litter” was detrimental to wildlife.
“Higher up in the fresh water section of the Werribee River, we’ve seen platypuses entangled in fishing litter. It’s not good for the fish and birds either, of course.”
The council’s environment and sustainability portfolio-holder, Peter Gibbons said the campaign would target local anglers as well as the wider community.
Cr Gibbons said the council would work with local groups, such as Beach Patrol 3030, to embed the campaign.
“This group runs regular clean-up events, rotating between three locations along the Werribee River and Werribee South foreshore,” he said.
“If we can get more people taking a proactive approach – like Beach Patrol – and valuing our waterways and oceans, we’ll be able to improve the amenity and reduce the negative impacts that litter has on our local environment.”
The next Beach Patrol 3030 clean-up will be held at Campbells Cove on April 10 at 11.30am.
The campaign is funded through the state government.
